Where we work

Domestic Program

United States

5,000+ lives transformed

Esperança’s Phoenix Program is uniquely positioned as the leader in providing health education and resources to Maricopa County’s most at-risk and undeserved youth and adults, creating true social change. In these communities, where 64 percent of kindergartners have been inflicted with untreated tooth decay and over 47 percent suffer from obesity, poverty and health disparities, children are often caught in the cycle of inter-generational poor health

Esperança’s bilingual and bicultural Health Educators embrace these individuals and use the barriers present in their communities as spring boards from which to implement programming that speaks directly to hose served. We follow the communities’ lead in identifying the health topics we address and as such have provided education and resources in the following areas:

International Program

Bolivia

15,794 lives transformed

This landlocked country is the poorest country in South America by numerous economic indicators. Though extreme poverty has been on the decline, 41% of families in rural areas still today are unable to afford a minimum amount of food, which makes Bolivia one of the countries with the highest income inequality in the Western Hemisphere.

Esperança’s current longest standing partner is Esperanza Bolivia; the two organizations began work together in 1986. All of Esperanza Bolivia’s programs focus on health; its model consists of a train-the-trainer approach, where volunteer promotores de salud (health workers) provide vital information to fellow community members going home to home and helping their neighbors understand how to prevent or mitigate life-threating diseases like Chagas, malaria and tuberculosis.

Mozambique

218 lives transformed

In this southeastern country of Africa, Mozambican families are learning to prevent three deadly diseases: HIV/AIDS, cholera and malaria. We currently work in one community, and are hoping to expand services to another in the coming years.

Mozambique has been ranked the sixth poorest country in the world by the World Bank. In this area of the world, HIV/AIDS, cholera and malaria have decreased the average life span to just 48 years. Approximately 1 out of 4 people living in Maciene have HIV/AIDS.

Nicaragua

14,756 lives transformed

Nicaragua is located in Central America and is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Over 75% of its people live on less than $2 a day. Forty-one percent of Nicaragua’s population live in rural areas. While Nicaragua’s economy has been growing, many rural households are headed by women, who are among the poorest and most disadvantaged groups in rural Nicaragua.

AVODEC (Asociación de Voluntarios para el Desarrollo Comunitario or “Association of Volunteers for Community Development) works toward the long-term sustainable development of impoverished communities. AVODEC was founded in 1998 after the devastating Hurricane Mitch destroyed much of the country. Esperança began partnering with the small, grass-roots NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) in 2001. AVODEC’s headquarters are in Jinotega, the capital of the department of Jinotega, which is in the north central region of the country. Jinotega is characterized by mountainous terrain, and it is the central coffee-growing region in the country.

Peru

8,923 lives transformed

The highlands of Peru are home to some of the most impoverished people in South America. The regions of Apurímac and Cusco, where mountain peaks can reach 20,000 feet above sea-level, are contiguous areas known for people living in “extreme poverty,”or living on less than $2 per day. Geographic isolation due to the rugged mountain terrain in highland Peru is thought to be the largest contributing factor to poverty (though there are also other factors, including linguistic and educational barriers). Access to health care is also limited and many women give birth at home in these rural regions without assistance from a trained health care specialist.

Esperança began working with our nonprofit partner CADEP (Centro Andino de Educación y Promoción) in 1997, partnering around our shared mission and values to reduce infant mortality in these regions. After grant funding for these projects ended in 2002, Esperança ceased its work in Peru. In 2014, Esperança made the strategic decision to work again in Peru, and after a long search, partnered again with CADEP. CADEP’s headquarters are based in the world-famous city of Cusco, though the organization serves the highland regions of Apurímac and surrounding areas, reaching way outside of the city limits and where most people speak the indigenous language of Quechua. CADEP’s focus is assisting people in these rural communities with agricultural and food security programs, as well as ecological housing or housing improvements using materials from the local area. CADEP also is Esperança’s partner in hosting surgical missions, in the city of Abancay.